Top 5 2-in-1 laptops in 2016

Best 2-in-1 Laptops: Why a 2-in-1 laptop?

Laptops had a banner year in 2015, and all signs point to an even better selection in 2016. It’s also potentially a more confusing one, too: There’s an ever-growing number of choices to navigate. Picking your form factor (traditional, 2-in-1, or convertible) only begins your run through a gauntlet of decisions.

2-in-1s laptops, or hybrids, are devices that are able to serve as both a laptop and a tablet, either in a detachable design that sees the touchscreen doubling as a tablet, or a convertible approach in which the notebook's hinge rotates 360 degrees for a similar effect.

To help you decide, here's a rundown of the best 2-in-1 laptops in 2016.

With a body milled out of solid aluminum, the Spectre x360 is beautiful and talented—you can flip the screen around for tablet mode or tent mode when you need. If it weren't for a few missteps with the trackpad and being too hefty for tablet use, this laptop would have easily stood amongst the most highly rated laptops you has ever seen. Despite its flaws, though, the Spectre x360 is one of the best-looking and powerful devices HP has ever produced and well worth a look over many, many other 2-in-1 laptops.

Recognizably different from the competition, the Yoga 900 is unbelievably thin and elegant. From the 360° watchband hinge to the eye catching color options, this 2-in-1 will turn heads. Packed with the latest Intel processing power and customizable features of Windows 10, your Yoga 900 will be your constant companion.

This notebook features excellent build quality and overall system performance. It's fast, it's slick, and it is ideal for students who need to bang out papers and general users who want a fast, compact notebook to tote around.

Microsoft knocked it out of the park with its first ever laptop, the Surface Book. Though it has a peculiar 3:2 aspect ratio and 13.5-inch screen that's outside of the norm for most Ultrabooks, it's one of the best designed convertible laptops ever created. As a standalone tablet, otherwise known as the Clipboard, it's the most powerful and thinnest Windows 10 computers in the world, then docking it into the keyboard base affords it even more performance by way of its discrete GPU.

Boasting one of the best looking 4K screens on the market, the Toshiba Radius 12 is a spectacular machine both inside and out. This sharp 2-in-1 laptop was designed to be held as a tablet just as much as it was meant to be used on your lap. Thanks to its lightweight and ergonomically designed chassis, this is one transformable notebook you'll actually want to hold in your hand.